"Tantantara...ting.....boom.....Introducing..... Son of a Gunner

  So - here he is as last - the long awaited son of a Gunner....... In the weeks following his birth there was much debate on and around RectoryReserve concerning what the little chap should be called. Traditionally all our dogs have had names related to the Forces - Captain, Trooper, Lancer, Pilot, Gunner - so we wanted something along those lines. A long list was drawn up, names were deleted at intervals until in the end The Big Boss preferred Dragoon and She Who must be obeyed preferred Bugler. Finally, it was agreed - he should be registered as The Dragoon Bugler.   Doesn't exactly roll off the tongue but there we are.... it provided ample opportunity for shortening to something more snappy!                                                   

As ever when something is long-awaited, the arrival date suddenly comes around and off we went to collect him on Monday. Meg (his mother)'s mum was delighted to see us! Even though Bugler's brother and one of his sisters had already left for their forever homes, 4 puppies running round her feet was driving her just a little bit crazy. The prospect of even one fewer was very cheering! She duly took us through the paperwork - pedigree, insurance, docking, microchip, change of ownership papers. All seemed in good order. Until I looked more closely at the pedigree....."What's this?" I said - "We seem to have the wrong name for the dog!" "What!" exclaimed Chris in alarm.... "Well, he was supposed to be Dragoon Bugler.....not what's written here. "Oh No - I am sorry..... I was certain I'd remembered it correctly!" she replied. Clearly the stress of having the pups had affected her even more than she was prepared to admit!  Now, as it happens, I wasn't terribly upset; after all, she'd remembered the principle of the name and the one she thought we'd chosen was one which was on our original list but was rejected because it seemed rather long for a young dog...... So, you ask, what is his name? In full it is Megun (from Meg & Gunner) Bombadier Bugler!  Rolls off the tongue rather more easily than Dragoon Bugler..... and plenty of B's in there for future use.... ...... .......

 "What's this you've brought home?"

After a little initial nervousness he quickly made friends with Jaunty although Gunner was a little more sceptical about the new arrival. There is a striking resemblance between the two though and not just in looks: at the vet for his first injection and check-up Bugler was calm about everything until his ears were inspected and then he went ape! Just like his dad! Needless to say, Pilot has hardly deigned to acknowledge his existence. When Bugler sidled up to him asking "Are you my friend too?", Pilot curled his lips, gave a barely audible snarl and the little one was left in no doubt what the answer was! They have barel entered each other's orbit since - nor will they if we can orchestrate it! He's still far too much of a baby to be terrified by the Alpha male!
That apart, he's settled in remarkably well; apart from a few minutes of complaint he has slept through the nights and has quickly got used to being in his crate for periods of quiet during the day. Jaunty's really taken him under his paw, happy at last to be able to play proper puppy games! And when he's left to his own devices he is into everything - he's definitely a livewire.......... which may or may not bode well for the future......................... time will tell......................